You Jump, I Jump
by ballyhara
Summary: Jack and Rose survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic but can they move forward from the trauma of that terrible night? A "what if" scenario if Jack Dawson hadn't died that night, my aim to make this as realistic as possible.
1. Where Are You Now?

**Where Are You Now?**

"Come Josephine in my flying machine - and - it's up she goes - up she - goes" Rose's voice trembled, barely above a whisper as she lay on a piece of debris paneling, twelve and a half thousand feet of black water underneath her. She was in limbo, not dead yet but barely alive. One hand lay strewn across her body, the other clutching onto Jacks as he clung onto the piece of debris. She had been ready to give up, the cold succumbing her, consuming the last of her strength. She had started to say goodbye but Jack had stopped her, he had made her promise that she would survive but he didn't relay the same promise back to her as he had already accepted his fate. He wasn't stupid, he knew it wouldn't be long before the icy cold water would claim him. But Rose, his Rose, had to survive. For both of them. A beam of light bounced across the water and Rose thought she heard a voice. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on her breathing when she heard the voice again and she strained to turn her head, the strands of fire kissed hair frozen to the wood beneath her.

"Is there anyone alive out there? Can anyone hear me?"

It was a boat. Yes. A lifeboat had come back for them just as Jack said it would. Just the sight of it made her feel alive and she fought through the pain as she shook Jack's icy hand, willing him to wake up and see the wonderful sight for himself. They were saved. They would be alright.

"Jack" she murmured. "There's a boat." She paused as he didn't respond straightaway and she shook his hand again, this time with more urgency, a frown overcoming her features. "Jack - Jack - " again he didn't answer her. "Jack, there's a boat - " her heart almost burst as his eyes barely opened, his breath ice cold as he parted his lips ever so slightly. "Oh thank god, Jack, Jack - " Tears escaped the corners of her eyes, sliding down the tip of her nose at the relief to see that he was still with her but he was barely conscious. "Come back. We're here. We're here" she lifted her head, her cries pitiful in the darkness that enveloped them. "Please! We're here! We're here!"

"Come about!" the voice called as the light bounced across the water again and rested on her face, illuminating her as she struggled in desperation to lift her arm to wave at them. "Hold steady! Careful with them oars! Over there!" Rose fixed her eyes on Jack, pleading with God inside her mind to let him live.

 _Just let him live. God just let him live._

* * *

Jack was laughing. She didn't know why he was laughing but she found she was laughing too. They were dancing in the sand, barefoot and spinning around and around until they both toppled over from dizziness. They lay there side by side staring at the cloudless sky and she was so happy. She wanted the world to stop then and bottle that feeling. She wanted to stay this way forever. Her happiness was cut short as a hand gently touched her cheek, stirring her from her slumber. One of the sailors loomed above her, a young lad no more than her age, his eyes wide and haunted as he tried to rouse her.

"Miss please" he said and she raised her eyes to see that the lifeboat was precariously close to the black hull of a steamer ship. For a moment she thought it was Titanic and she clutched the blanket wrapped around her but the fog cleared as she read the name of the ship, Carpathia, printed in gold letters. "Miss, you have to get up."

"Jack - " she looked around in a panic and saw that he wasn't there. "Jack - where's Jack?"

"It's alright now" an older sailor stepped forward and took her hand. She leant onto him heavily for support as he helped her onto trembling legs and he waved at someone above. "Alright now Miss, you're far too weak to climb that rope ladder so we're going to put you into a cargo net and the men will lift you on board. Don't you worry, you'll be perfectly safe." Rose, still in a haze of confusion and trauma at the events that unfolded only a few hours ago, barely registered what was going on as she was bundled into a cargo net and lifted promptly into the cargo bay. As soon as her feet touched the solid wooden planks, her legs gave way and she was caught in the arms of a sailor. With the help of a steward, she was helped above to the deck, laid out on a deckchair and covered in blankets. Rose was numb, not just from the cold but as the events of the last few hours started to hit home, she stared wordlessly at the women and children around her, some just as silent as she was, others weeping.

"Ma'am, can I please take your name?" the steward asked but Rose was unresponsive and he hesitated, not sure whether or not to leave.

"Back to your duties Edward, I'll tend to this young woman" Marion, a heavyset matron employed by the Cunard Line, came forward and he nodded as he tried to hold his nerve as he rushed back to the cargo bay to help with the other survivors. "What's your name dear?"

"I - " Rose tried to form words but her mind was blank and the matron could see the trauma in her eyes.

"It's alright, you don't have to speak just now dear. Now you drink some of this up, now won't you like a good love?" she placed a mug of hot soup in Rose's hands and she rushed off to tend to someone else. Rose brought the mug to her chapped lips, sipping the hot soup in tiny amounts as she tried to stop herself from shaking. She didn't know it but she was going into shock and her entire body was trying to cope with the stress. She wanted Jack.

"Good, that's good" the matron returned a short time later as she watched Rose drink the soup.

" - there was a man - he was with me - " Rose tried to explain but her voice cracked and her face crumpled.

"Ssshhh, don't weep my dear, the men are doing everything they can" she rubbed Rose's shoulder, trying to comfort her the best she could.

"Jack - he has to be on this ship somewhere - please you have to find him" Rose opened her eyes, her voice more coherent now and she saw the look of doubt pass over the matron's face.

"They're doing everything they can" she repeated. "Get some rest" Marion lifted her skirts and Rose sank back into the deckchair, despair in her heart.


	2. Jack Dawson's Luck

**Jack Dawson's Luck**

 _"Why, what would you wish for?"_

 _"Something I can't have."_

Jack lay on a cot on the lower deck, half conscious as he suffered feverish flashbacks of that same moment with Rose over and over again in his mind. He would reach out to tuck a dark strand of red hair behind her ear and suddenly they would be walking back towards the First Class Entrance. He couldn't quite reach her yet she was standing right next to him.

"Rose" he murmured, his chapped lips sore and the skin around his face felt tight.

He was conscious enough to know he was alive but he could barely find the strength to open his eyes, only feeling the heat of the sun as it beat down upon the open deck. Someone pressed something cold against his brow and he tried to raise his hand. Rough fingers grasped at his wrist and gently pushed it back down.

"This young man needs to see the Doctor" he heard a woman's voice call out but she sounded as if she was underwater, the sound muffled.

"He'll need to wait, the Doctor's busy with a lad that's got frostbite in both feet. Says the poor bastard could lose his toes" a man called back.

Another blanket was thrown over Jack's body and he found himself alone once more. He drifted in and out of consciousness for the next hour until someone else came by and tried to prop him upwards to drink some hot soup.

"Get this down you like a good lad" Marion cupped his hand around the mug and helped him take a few sips. Immediately he jerked forward and started to splutter and cough as the hot liquid acted like a shock to his system. "Drink some more, you have to keep your strength up."

* * *

"Rose - " the voice was riddled with doubt but the call of her name made her lift her head and she felt her heart stop for a moment as she locked eyes with a disheveled looking Caledon Hockley, his suit torn and his dark hair falling around his face. " - Rose!" This time his voice broke with emotion as he rushed towards her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders desperately trying to embrace her. Rose stiffened, too shocked to speak and too weak to move. "Rose - my goodness - I thought - Rose" he struggled to form a sentence as he tried to grab hold of her hand but she twisted out of his grasp, her lips pursed together tightly, her eyes filled with hatred towards her former fiancee and the man that had tried to murder her just a few hours before. She saw a flash of hardness in his dark eyes as he retreated back and stared at her, neither of them saying anything for a several moments. "Jack, is he - ?"

"Get away from me" she said slowly, her words filled with venom but Caledon ignored her, grabbing the attention of a passing maid carrying towels.

"You there, yes you. My fiancee needs to be moved inside to a warm cabin - "

"We're doing everything we can sir" the young woman didn't even break her stride and Caledon looked back at Rose helplessly.

"These blasted people. They do not care that there are women and children half frozen lying out on the deck as if they nothing more than dogs."

Rose eyeballed him, not willing this to be real. He was acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened between them. He had the audacity to call her his fiancee still. He was talking to her as if he cared. He did not care for her. She had always been a decorative ornament to look good by his side. The young bride he could show off to his friends. She had known it all along yet had not wanted to face it convincing herself she was happy with a man she did not and could not love.

"Jack's alive" she said before she could stop herself and Cal blinked at her, disbelief in his eyes.

"You're lying" Cal dismissed her as he had always done.

"I'm not, he's alive" her voice rose higher and broke at the last word. "You hear me, he's alive - " Maybe if she said it enough times, she would believe it herself.

"Rose - " he tried to grab her hand again.

"You are dead to me" she seethed and she watched as he slowly rose to his feet, his face defeated. Her heart was pounding in her ears as he walked off, his shoulder slumped forward and as soon as he was out of sight, it was as if a dam had burst within her. She started to sob, her emotions running from absolute fear to uncertain relief to have finally stood up to Cal and the prospect of an uncertain future without Jack by her side weighing heavily on her shoulders.

* * *

The first thing Jack saw when he opened his eyes was the field of stars above him. It was late but people were still awake around him. Most of them were women, holding each other, some clutching young children in their arms. An older gentlemen to his left was lying in the cot next to him, snoring softly as the ship gently rocked him in his slumber. The air was cold and Jack could see his own breath as he pulled the blankets around him as he sat up. He felt stronger but his arms shook a little as he tried to lean his weight against them and it took a few tries before he managed to balance on both legs. His first thought was Rose. His mind was clear now. Jack remembered vaguely being pulled into a lifeboat, he could recall being laid down next to Rose and both of them being covered in blankets. But after that, his memories weren't that reliable. He remembered bits and pieces but time seemed to bleed together and he wasn't sure how much of it had been a feverish dream. He looked around the dimly lit deck at the faces of the women that were sleeping around him, his heart soared for a fraction of a second when he caught sight of a flash of red hair but his hope was diminished as his gaze settled on the woman's face. It wasn't Rose. He scoured the deck the best he could but he was still too weak and had to sit back down to regain his strength. He felt frustrated that his body was cooperating with his mind. She had to be on this ship somewhere. He struggled onto his feet again and shuffled towards the stairwell that led to the higher deck, swearing under his breath as he had difficulty opening the gate.

"You alright there?" a steward motioned to Jack from above.

"Can you help me up these steps? I'm looking for someone."

"You're not supposed to come up here, Captain's orders" the steward explained, his face apologetic. "Steerage remains on the lower deck, first and second class passengers are kept up here separately, it just makes it easier to identify everyone once we arrive in New York."

"Please, it's my - " Jack gripped onto the railing climbing the first few steps, his face pained. " - my wife. She was taken in a lifeboat but she's not down here."

"I'm not supposed to" the steward looked as if he was struggling with his conscious. "You recall she definitely got into a lifeboat?"

"Yeah, I made her go. She didn't want to leave me but I promised her I would find her. Please sir" Jack lied, desperation in his voice.

"Alright quickly - " the steward opened the gate at the top of the stairwell and helped Jack climb the remaining steps. " - what's her name?"

"Rose."

"What does she look like?"

"She's - she's about this tall, red hair, blue eyes" Jack said as fast as he could hoping to see a flicker of recognition in the stewards face but there was none.


	3. Dream a Little Dream of Me

**Dream a Little Dream of Me**

Rose was woken by voices nearby and she peeled back her shawl slightly to see two men further down the deck looking amongst the other survivors that were sleeping either on deckchairs or on the ground. She caught sight of the first mans white jacket, _a steward_ , she figured they must've been checking to make sure the others were warm enough. She shifted in the deckchair and closed her eyes, pulling the shawl around her face in an attempt to keep out the cold air. Her clothes were still damp but she was too exhausted to even take notice. It had been a trying day and it was still so hard to come to terms with what had happened only hours before. She squinted as a torch light bounced across her face and she was suddenly transported back on the piece of debris with the light coming across the water. She cried out quietly as she shielded her face and the steward quickly turned off the torch but the man behind him suddenly grabbed it from his hands and shone it on her again. Rose could see the two men staring at her and then the second man dropped the torch, letting it hit the deck with a thud.

"Rose" the second man called out and as soon as he saw the woman's confused face, he rushed forward and grabbed hold of her. The breath was knocked out of Rose as she stared at what she thought was the ghost of Jack. He cupped her face with one hand, a grin spreading across his handsome features. She could feel him. He was flesh and bone. _Alive._ She fiercely grabbed him with both arms, throwing them around his neck and embraced him in full. He kissed the side of her face frantically as he gripped onto her, both of them frightened that if they let go, they would lose each other forever.

"I - I" Rose couldn't speak as she started to sob into his shoulder.

"I'm here, I'm here" he managed to push her back so he could see her face. "It's alright, everything's going to be alright now."

The steward didn't say a word, too stunned to truly believe that out of all the despair and death that surrounded them, something good had occurred and he had been there to witness it. Jack turned to look at him and gave him a nod, a reserved smile on his face. The steward nodded back and collected his torch, then left the couple in peace.

* * *

Rose awoke from her slumber and within moments of waking bolted upright only to have strong arms wrap around her from behind and gently pull her back down. Her heart hammered in her chest as she turned and saw Jack squeezed beside her, his golden brown hair falling over his eyes.

"I thought for a moment it had all been a dream" she said quietly as Jack combed red strands of hair from her pale face.

"I'm here" he repeated the same sentiment from last night, a tired smile on his face. He had been unable to sleep and instead settled onto the deckchair with Rose. They had barely spoken about what had happened, infact they had barely spoken at all. Rose had finally fallen asleep in his arms and he spent the rest of the early morning watching her reminding himself that he was the luckiest son of a bitch that ever lived to have been given another chance to make a life with her. It was crazy. He knew it. They'd only known each other a few days. Jack remembered Rose telling him that she loved him when they both thought it was the end but he'd never said it back because he knew if he did, it really was their final goodbyes to one another and he couldn't allow that. "I want you to marry me Rose. I don't want to waste any time." All he could hear was the _thump thump_ of his heart in his ears as Rose remained silent in his arms for what felt like the longest time.

"Yes" she murmured barely above a whisper and she turned to look at him, her blue eyes brimming with tears. Jack felt his heart soar as she kissed him softly, her long fingers caressing his neck. _This is what love was meant to feel like_ she thought as butterflies danced in her stomach as Jack kissed her back. _It was real, he didn't need to shower her with expensive jewels and pretty dresses to buy her affection like Cal had done._ Rose's eyes flew open then and she pulled back. _Cal._

"What is it?" Jack asked, sensing immediately something was wrong from the frightened expression Rose wore on her face.

"It's Cal. He's alive - " Rose shook her head as Jack's face hardened. " - he seemed so happy to see me again, it all happened so fast, he was still under the belief that I would somehow still go through with marrying him, I told him to get away from me - "

"He shouldn't have survived, better men lost their lives and that piece of shit somehow - " Jack swung his legs over the side of the deckchair, his jaw clenched so hard Rose thought his teeth would break. She'd never seen him this angry before. " - if I see him again anywhere near you, I'll kill him Rose I swear."


End file.
